Country Living Series

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Missing the point

Here's a comment representing an alternate viewpoint that someone just left on an older post on butchering one of our young bull calves, Beefy.

Killing is always painful. Beefy lived with you as a family member with the hope that he is safe and protected in your family. But you people butchered it. Instead of rearing more animals restrict and protect the existing animals. They will feel blessed and you in turn will be blessed by jesus to compensate for the loss. Just save one animal and see. You will feel great when you see it happy.

I'm afraid this person is missing the point of raising cattle. We're not raising them for pets -- we're raising them for milk and meat. We're not looking to expand our herd so we can be blessed with more cattle -- we're looking to expand our herd to continue feeding us.

There is a mistaken assumption that a cow wouldn't willingly agree to be fed, given medical care, shelter and the ability to produce large numbers of offspring in exchange for its death at the end. (See for example many of our fellow citizens. It doesn't even have to be a good life: consider your average machine dependent, feeding tubed, immobile, demented nursing home patient... But granny's a fighter so we'll sign her up for this so she can have a little more "life")

Reminds me of the young girl who was grossed out when she learned where eggs come from. (Obviously a city-raised spoiled daddy's girl.) She said, "Eggs come out of a chicken's BUTT? Eeewwww...!" Pathetic. --Fred in AZ

I am sure he eats out at MCD's on a regular basis! This person doesn't realize you are being blessed with food from this animal! Where the heck do they think meat comes from....oh yea the pic crap they serve at MCD's .....great post!

LOL! When I was a vegetarian (10yrs), people like that drove me up the wall. I NEVER thought it was business to tell anyone else how to eat. The big reason I was veg- was factory farming, it just grossed me out. However, I always loved hearing about small farms, where, the animals were raised in a good environment. I had/have respect for anyone who raises their own meat or hunts for their meat.

This person should take a look at how major beef producers treat the animals that are sold to us in the nice packaging in the stores. I know the animals destined for your dinner table are treated in a humane fashion, and their death is quick, and without the stress of being trucked to a slaughterhouse.

Where does he think meat comes from? Does he believe that Wal Mart has a machine in the back that produces it? What a tool. We raised beef and pork back on the farm and trust me they were all destined to be on someone's table when they died. I have a big problem with the now prevalent factory farms and hog confinement set ups. They are just bad! Ours and yours are raised and live out their lives in a good situation

So, how was Beefy? Tender, juicy? We always thank the Lord for our animals and for the gifts we are given everyday. But on the lighter side, we name our meat animals Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and occasionally, Pork Chop and Lamb Chop. And to quote a famous line, "Where's the beef?!?" or "Beef, it's what's for dinner!" We're writing this right after finishing a lunch of sausage and eggs. Life is good. Continue the good work please.

"They will feel blessed and you in turn will be blessed by Jesus to compensate for the loss." Why the reference to Jesus? That does nothing to support this person's argument. Jesus ate meat, as did the Disciples. Liberal-progressives and those who listen to them love to twist things around to suit themselves and the way THEY think things should be, rather than believe and obey the Word of God. --Fred in AZ

What a sweet tenderhearted misled person! When we are taken to task by those who do not understand ("How can you eat something you know?"), we state our reasons for raising our own. We didn't start growing/slaughtering our own for health reasons, but for humane concerns. Our animal's lives may be as short as any other meat animal, but they have good non-medicated food, proper shelter, room to move about, and no rough handling. We are grateful for the life they give up for us, and feel that we are doing our part to be proper stewards of the land and animals in our care. For today's human, being so far removed from farm life has not been conducive to understanding the natural cycle of the world. I hope the person who wrote that can try to understand our view, as we should strive to understand their view, life IS precious! I am so thankful each day for the nourishment that life gives us.

I - a semi-vegetarian (no red meat and no leather clothes, shoes or boots) - would never say anything like that comment to someone who practices humane treatment and proper husbandry, such as yourself.

I pay extra for food that was raised the way you raise yours, be it eggs, chicken or beef for my hubby. (Hubby is totally NOT a vegetarian. LOL!)

This protection concept may apply to permanent, personal pets like dogs, cats, horses, etc., but the balance of nature has always been the perfect plan.

What makes this so is that it has always been the combination of one species furthering the life of another on this planet.....whether it be for sustenance of food or creating a better existence for life.

I think that Jesus may have a far better concept of this than the person who wrote the comment since Jesus (more than anybody here on earth) would understand this balance of purpose.

Besides.....death is not the end for us or for our beloved animals if you have a true belief in the bigger picture.

And for those who jump to the conclusion that this person is automatically a liberal, progressive writer......doesn't that kind of narrow minded thinking start wearing a little thin after awhile?? I am a liberal, progressive and I absolutely disagreed with the writer. You need to stop lumping people together. BJ

I know this to be true because I am progressive, liberal and absolutely disagree with this person's comment. You need to stop lumping people together..........BJ

I understand and respect people who have concerns about animal's suffering and humane treatment. I do draw the line at the idea that farm animals are actually sentient. Beefy lived with you in "hopes"? Uh, no.

I actually feel sorry for people who think this way. I have no knowledge of the writer, but imagine he/she has never had any experience around farms or livestock and makes their opinions without any known facts about how the animals are treated at the Big Ag factories. I love that my children and grand-children are exposed to realities. We recently had a hen whose legs were badly maimed. I have no idea how, but one day she was limping pretty badly on one leg, but could still get around to get food and water. I hoped it would heal and kept a close eye on her, putting food and water right in front of her to help her out while giving it time to see how she would do. Instead of getting better though, it got worse and she wasn't able to move around at all after about a week so I made the decision that she needed to be put down. My daughter and 2 grandsons and I took her out to the power line, gently petting and talking to her the whole way. My oldest grandson put her down quickly with a well placed shot. She was out of misery and they all understood why that was better for her.

This person is condemning you for taking responsibilty for what needed to be done. Yet , they let others do the killing and butchering be done in their stead , in not a very nice manner. I scratch my head at these people.

I was taught to have reverence for life , and even in the taking of it , as it is done for good reason and not without responsibility .I will never get these people.

I know how hard it was on you to butcher your long time heifer , you and Don raise and treat your meat animals with love and care. you made the right choice, otherwise the remaining heard would have suffered and not had the life you wished for them. Blessings come to people that treat Gods creatures with respect ,regardless if they are to be pets or to end up on the table.While I fully understand that butchering is a necessity I no longer have the fortitude to have it carried out, would become a Vegan if I had to do the dirty work . Kudos to all of you that are able to take part in this very vital process. I know I am as much as a bleeding heart as the lady that wrote you the letter, but unlike her, I know that the blessings will come to your family and others that are able to care for themselves, and that includes the butchering of animals raised for meat.

There are plenty of folks who think of animals as "differently abled people". This applies to pets as well as "farm animals". As some of the other posts have pointed out, our animals, be they shepherd or shorthorn, are possessions over which we are given dominion and stewardship: non-sentient and definite not spiritual. That requires we take appropriate care of our animals, but also requires we honor the stewardship aspect of our responsibilities. They are God-given resources that we need to ensure are used after the manner in which they were created. Like the fruits and vegetables in our gardens, to honor the gift of those resources a harvest is required. In season, there are harvests of eggs or milk. For our pets the harvest comes as companionship or aid in protecting and working the home and homestead. For some, the harvest comes, either early or late, in the from of meat. To not harvest when the time comes to do so is, in my mind, the equivalent of "burying our talent in the ground" and producing no return on that which we were blessed to steward.

I actually got crap from the mailman of all people about us butchering our pig. Surely he eats pork. And even my own MOTHER. I kid you not. We put a lot of money, time and hard work into raising our animals. Our dogs for work, our livestock animals for food. We ensure they have a good life, the best food we can afford, and fair treatment. We want good quality, healthy food for our family and that is why we do what we do. Some people have a hard time with the whole "farm to table" idea because it is so foreign to them. I didn't think I needed to ask my mailman permission to raise my own food. Seriously people. Our animals live such a better life than what you buy in a pretty package in the grocery store. Yes even the "free range organic" chicken eggs at w-mart live in deplorable conditions. I think everyone should raise their own food in some way be it may or vegetables. What people don't get is that steaks don't grow on trees. There is always someone out there doing the dirty work you can't bear to see. That's part of life... but our family chooses to take that responsibility on ourselves. I will never understand people.

You are blessed. My hubby was surprised to find that the 'cheap dairy bull calves' they used to buy when he was growing up; don't exist in this area any more. The small family dairy is pretty much non existent here any more.

Love all your replies. The person who wrote that was either vegetarian (which you are by default because your cow eats grass); or doesn't realize that the chicken in the store was killed for them to eat, too.

I get the concept of not allowing pets to overpopulate and produce animals that just have to be destroyed. We have two rabbits (thought we had two males, but SURPRISE!) and we certainly do not led them breed indiscriminately. I GET that.

But how could the commenter miss that you were raising BEEFY for the purpose of BEEF?

People were giving me grief for having a GARDEN. A garden watered with drip irrigation, no less. This because I used water in the desert. I didn't know I was required to pay to have all of my food trucked in from out of state. "Loca"l food in this state--even at the farmer's market--comes from out of state growers. At least i get water back in the form of food!